Prof. Eric L. McDaniel is a member of the Department of Government, a faculty affiliate of the Population Research Center, and a fellow of the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis at the University of Texas. He is a graduate of Wilberforce University, the oldest private historically Black college or university, and took his PhD. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Politics in the Pews: The Political Mobilization of Black Churches, which examines why some Black churches choose to engage the political world while others do not. He has also explored how the various messages and beliefs in the Black religious experience influence Black political behavior. He is currently engaged in a co-authored project that examines how the intermingling of religious and national identity influences how citizens come to understand their nation and it its place in the world. Finally, Prof. McDaniel is interested in the role of social policy in shaping the outcomes of marginalized groups. Focusing specifically on health policy he has begun a research agenda that examines public support for medical outreach for marginalized groups and how Black political power can generate better health outcomes for Blacks.
